Affection
by Q. Lin
Summary: She hated to think about him, but she refused to forget about him. She hated that she in those three days, three years ago, had fallen completely and utterly in love with him, knowing that they were most likely never to meet again. AU, oneshot, GinRan.


**A/N: **First there's the disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. It belongs to Kubo Tite. If I did, everyone would be matchstick (wo)men...

And then there's what I'd like to say about this fanfic; _Holy fuck_, was this a long run. I had a break from it before writing the ending, and when I beta'ed it I realized just how much my style of writing has developed. Which btw reminds me, that I should warn you guys about that because of the length, I didn't read it through as much times or as thoroughly as I usually do with my work, so I might have (probably!) missed some things. It was also hell to run by spell check (Microsoft Word does not approve of Gin's way of speech).

I apologize for the ridiculous length (approx. 16 pages) and I hope it's clear when I'm jumping from present to the past. It was supposed to be a multichap-fic, but when I began writing it just seemed unnatural to split the thing up in parts.

I should probably also let you know that this isn't a fluffy happy-go-lucky love story; It's rated M for safety regarding the themes (and the first paragraph). Because of this, the characters might be a bit OOC - I'm mostly concerned about Rangiku because we usually don't get to see her under these kinds of circumstances.

There. I think I got it all now. I'll leave you for alone then for the time being. Enjoy! (I hope...)

* * *

><p>The man thrust his hips one last time and grunted as he came. He fell limply on top of the woman beneath him, panting and gasping for air. His breath soon evened out and he rolled off her to lie next to her. His hand reached out to grab the heavy duvet to his left and slung it lazily over his lower body.<p>

The woman stood up, found her discarded clothes and walked towards the bathroom without a second glance back at the man who had just been inside of her. She didn't even bother to look at herself as she passed the mirror. Without the need to take any clothes off, she went into the shower and turned on the water. She took a step forward and tilted her head back, allowing the stream of warm water to kiss her beautiful face. She sighed softly and ran a hand through her strawberry blond hair, which had been straightened out by the water.

_What an asshole_, she thought as she reached out for one of the small bottles of shampoo. It wasn't unusual for her to have a client, who wanted another kind of company from her than her company actually offered. Most of the time, she would give them what they wanted. She knew that it didn't help the reputation of escorts. Because that was exactly what she was; an escort. And not a cheap one either. But for some reason too many men thought that escorts were like prostitutes. They weren't. But after a couple of months in the occupation, she had begun with some… Extra services.

Her manager pretended not to know. He didn't want any trouble after all. So he pretended to be oblivious of the fact that some of his employees did… something a little out of the book. She didn't even know of it in the beginning herself. It was her tenth client that had made her realize the darker side of the job. She felt insulted and told Nemu, a fellow escort about the man's approach, surprised to find out that her introvert friend wouldn't have denied the man. She talked with a few other girls then and soon, she gave in too. Fortunately the man had been very kind and understanding about it being her first time. Today, she didn't care and with time and a few tips from Nemu, she learned how to speed the process up and get it over with quickly.

She could use the extra money anyway. She could always use some extra money with her shopping-spirit.

The man next door didn't have much to offer though. A tour around the city, a somewhat nice dinner and a (cheap) bracelet to thank her for a nice day. No tips or "a little extra to buy yourself something nice". Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have slept with him. He wasn't really attractive either. No, he was just very stubborn and pushy. This was the last day the man would be in town, which was why he had wanted some company, she assumed. So she decided to shut him up and give him what he wanted. It was quickly done anyway. She knew her way around after all.

Her looks didn't help with the clients' pace of thoughts either. They would _always_ stare. No exceptions. She could try to hide them away somehow, but it never worked, and she didn't want to either. She was proud of her body; everything was natural. Why hide it?

She sighed, glad that everything was over now and that the man was fast asleep. He wasn't anything like _him_, she mused. She froze and cursed herself, forcing him out of her mind. It always saddened her to think about him, knowing that they would never meet again. It hurt to think about the many men she had slept with, but never the one she loved. That she had never felt a pair of lips pressed against her own.

She grabbed a tower as she stepped out of the shower. When it was nicely wrapped around her curvy body, she grabbed another tower for her wet hair.

Some minutes later, the young woman was fully dressed again and the two towers were lying on the tiled floor. Her hair was still damp, but it was ignored; she wanted to get out of this place and feared that the hair-dryer might be too loud. She sighed in relief when she peeked out of the door, confirming that the man was still asleep, snoring even.

Yes, she had done well, she thought and smirked before stepping out. She easily found her jacket on the near the door that led out to the floor hall. She turned around and her blue eyes locked onto the body on the bed. She was about to turn around and leave the room, when she noticed the man's jeans at the bed. She tilted her head to the side, considering, and then reached for the black wallet that was popping out of the pocket. She never stole from her clients, she didn't have to, but she was curious. A wallet could reveal quite a lot. She opened it.

To say that she was unimpressed would be an understatement. There were only some change and a single credit card that wouldn't be much use. She checked the other cards in the small pockets, but they were all worthless to her. She snorted and laid the wallet back. She turned around and grabbed a small white remote from the table in the small hotel room. She held it up to the ceiling and clicked the button with an arrow that pointed down. The number on the air condition continued to decrease until the small screen finally read "LOW". She smirked and put the remote back to its place before disappearing out of the door, not bothering to close it behind her.

* * *

><p>"Rangiku!"<p>

_Knock! Knock!_

"Rangiku, wake up!" the same voice said, and the woman in the bed squeezed her eyes together even tighter, not wanting to wake get up just yet. She heard the door open and knew she had lost.

"Get up. I know you're awake. There's break-fast." Sighing, the called person opened her eyes and turned to look at her roommate. She was a slim and quite beautiful woman with dark blue, almost violet eyes that was only complimented by her oval glasses. Her raven medium-long hair, which was usually pinned up nicely, was now tied up in a ponytail. She had yet to change, but was instead wearing a basic black top and a matching pair of pyjama pants with wide legs, though a purple apron hid most of the nightwear.

"Right… It smells amazing, Nanao," Rangiku said as the smell of freshly made pancakes reached her. Her friend only smiled as a response and went back to the kitchen.

Rangiku couldn't help but smile too. Nanao rarely made pancakes or anything else that might be considered unhealthy. _Something must've happened_, she thought, and her smile turned into a smirk.

"So… What's the occasion?" she asked when both of them were seated at the small dining table. The blonde (she preferred "blonde" to "ginger") reached out to grab one out of the many pancakes in the pile in front of her. She kept her eyes on Nanao as she put some strawberry jam on her pancake before grabbing the small bowl with sugar, watching the other's reaction. Her roommate ignored the mischievous undertone in the question, keeping her eyes on her own pancake while filling it, before answering.

"There is none. I just thought it would be nice."

"Right!" Rangiku said ironically, not caring that she had just stuffed her mouth with food. "Is it your boss?" she tried again. This time, she was sure she saw her roommate blush.

"No."

"I bet it is... What did he do?"

"Nothing."

"Nanao."

"No."

"You know, I'm going to find out at some point, right?"

"Please don't get carried away." At this, Rangiku snorted, but she didn't push any further. She was going to find out, she was determined.

* * *

><p>After breakfast, Rangiku happily entered her bedroom again. It was Friday and she had the entire weekend off. She considered going back to sleep, but decided not to after filling her stomach with Nanao's delicious pancakes. She then noticed the clothes she had put out for the day. It lay nicely folded at the end of her bed and she couldn't help but smile as picked up the piece of cloth that lay at the very top.<p>

The deep burgundy colour was beautiful for the low cut top she held in her hands. She just bought it last week when she saw it on a mannequin on her way home and she couldn't do anything but buy it. It was still displayed at the shop's window, and she had plenty of time to buy it; to actually wait until she received her salary for this month, but she couldn't walk away from it. She clutched the top in her hands before tugging off the price tag and threw it in the trash can in her room, ready to start the day.

* * *

><p>Rangiku turned her gaze from the television to the clock above it. It was just past five. Nanao was finally getting off her job now, which meant she would come home and cook her dinner. Today had <em>not<em> been as eventful as she had wanted it to be.

She had wanted company for the day, spend it with some friends, but everyone had been too busy for her. Nanao was working. Nemu had a client today - she had a client most days as she, unlike the other escorts, never wanted a day off. Hinamori was working at the library, a place the blonde had never set her foot in. Orihime was busy studying for some important and upcoming test. Hitsugaya was home, in the apartment below her, but he had refused to let her in, saying that she would only be a bother. She didn't have much money left either, so she couldn't even go shopping by herself.

She didn't want to be alone. When she was alone and unoccupied for too long, her mind would slowly, but surely drift off, recalling the memories of _him_ and remind her of how lonely she was. She didn't want to think about him, but she refused to forget about him too. What made everything even worse, was that she didn't know where in the world he was, what he was doing, if he still was alive. Just ten month after they had parted, he had appeared in the news. He, along with two of his colleagues, Sosuke Aizen and Tousen Kaname had disappeared. And not disappeared as in "oh no, they might have been abducted"-disappeared, but rather as in "shit, a lot of the company's money is gone and those three are nowhere to be found"-disappeared.

The topic had been in front pages for months. Investigations were made and rumours regarding their relationship with the mafia "Hollows" began to emerge. It was confirmed that Aizen was the leader of the whole scheme and some even began to conspire about the brunet ruling the underworld. The reasons why the other two had followed were still unknown. There hadn't been reported anything new regarding the case for a year now. Rangiku didn't really know what to believe, but she knew that she still loved him.

She reached for the phone that lay on the coffee table and dialled Nanao's number. It only rang once before someone answered.

"Hello? This is Nanao."

"Hi! What are we having for dinner tonight?" Rangiku asked, jumping right to her point. There was a soft and almost inaudibly sigh on the other end of the line.

"I was just about to go and buy groceries for that actually. Hinamori told me about a great dish with pike fish, so I decided that we should try it out. She reassured me that it tasted great, almost like the one with had at that dinner those years ago."

"Oh. Great. Sounds delicious. See you soon!" she answered and hung up on her friend. She tried to ignore the memories that were pushing their way into her mind. It had to be _that_ dinner she had meant, there was a pike dish after all, and the blond hadn't had anything with pike since then.

She really didn't want to think about it, to think about _him_, but all the memories were flooding back, the mental pictures playing inside her mind like a movie, and she didn't have the strength to fight it.

* * *

><p><em>Is this Rangiku Matsumoto's phone?<em>

The blue eyes read the small screen, remembering what her manager had told her yesterday. It was a bit odd with her new client, he had told her. The client had insisted to be the one to contact and inform his requested escort. This wasn't something the company usually did, their manager cared enough for his employees to worry about their safety, but he had given in to the man after learning who the man was. Rangiku had been informed that he had received her cell number, the one she used for work related circumstances, and that the man would contact her himself. She rarely used the phone. Its most important purpose was to keep her previous clients away from her. Many would ask for her number, thinking that she wouldn't mind to keep them company some other time. As if. Instead, they got the number for this phone and when they did contact her, she would simply block the number afterwards. It was easier than giving a fake number. Once she had given a client Nanao's number by accident. The raven had been furious. Not just because of the inappropriate call, but it had also been how she had learned the truth of Rangiku's occupation.

The man who was now texting her would be in town for three days and would need her company for at least one of them. She had waited yesterday for a call or maybe a text, but had received none. Here it was though, and she quickly replied.

_Yes, that's me. To whom am I writing to?_

She figured it would be best to keep the polite tone for now. It didn't take long before her phone vibrated again.

_Ah, sorry! I'm Gin Ichimaru, your new client, but you might already have figured that one out_

Rangiku nodded to herself, before focusing on the name. _Gin Ichimaru_, _what a weird name._ She probably couldn't use that as a reply though, which made she realize that she wasn't sure _what_ to answer. She shrugged and began texting again.

_Yes, so what do you need me for_?

She was about to send it when she realized how harsh it sounded and added a winking smiley.

_I'm here on a business trip. Three whole days. My boss invited all the company's presidents for dinner the first night. I tried to get out of it by saying I already had a date with my long-time girlfriend (I'm from here, you see), but then he just said I should bring her along. I tried to convince him that it wouldn't be a good idea, but he ignored it and just said that he'd tell the others to bring someone too. So if I don't bring anyone, well who knows? _

Rangiku shrugged again, it wasn't too bad, the reason why she was needed, that is.

_I get it :) So when is it?_

_In two hours, but I'll pick you up in one and a half. Be ready by then._

Rangiku stared at the little screen with wide eyes. _That's too soon!_ she thought. How was she going to get ready for a nice dinner meeting in that time? They were supposed to learn about each other as well, plan some kind of backstory for the pretence. She wrote a reply according the issue. This time her eyes narrowed at the respond.

_We'll improvise. What's your address?_ She texted back her address and told him that she would meet him downstairs when he was there. As soon as she received a text that said "_Got it. See you soon_", she discarded her cell phone and rushed into her bedroom, trying to figure out what to wear and what to do with her hair, not realizing that she had actually given a stranger, a client nonetheless, her address.

Rangiku eyed herself in the mirror, satisfied with herself. She was wearing a black two-in-one dress. The tight and elastic lower part, which was black and hugged her body nicely, accentuated her hips and small waist as it went from her knees to just beneath her bosom. The sleeveless upper part that was supposed to be loose and baggy looked as it was tailored as well because of the size of her breasts. The top part was black as well, though it had a white outline at the v-shaped neckline. The two parts was connected by a wide white sash with a big bow. She wrapped a thin pink scarf around her neck and wore her usual necklace, which disappeared into her cleavage. She knew that the dinner was going to be somewhat formal from the message, but hoped that the attendants weren't too sensitive. Or full of old men for that matter. She hadn't done anything with her hair, but only added some volume to it. Her make-up was discreet as well, which she thought justified the outfit. She heard a quiet hum and ran into the living room to check her cell phone. She had received a message.

_"I'm here" _was all it said.

_I'll be there in a minute_

She easily put on her plain nude pumps while grabbing a jacket and her keys on her way, letting the door lock itself as she closed it. When she stepped into the elevator, she made sure that her shoes sat comfortably and put her jacket on. It was October, but the jacket she had gotten her hands on had wide but short sleeves. She shrugged it off since she figured they would be inside for most of the time anyway. Besides, it matched her outfit completely. It was black, but white on the inside, which was visible due to the wide sleeves. It barely reached her hips and had a white sash as well as it was designed in a kimono style.

_Ding!_

She stepped out of the elevator and soon exited the hallway she had just entered.

She immediately saw him.

A black and very fancy car was parked at the side of the road just ahead of her in front of the building. He was leaning against the side of the car with both legs and arms crossed. She sighed in relief; he wasn't some old geezer.

He wore a black suit with matching shoes as well as a black shirt with a white tie. They matched, she realized. The clothes showed how thin he was and only made him seem taller. And he was fairly tall. His hair was a light shade of grey. No, that was wrong. It was silver. What struck her the most though, was his face. His eyes were narrowed, (or maybe even closed?) and an almost mocking smile was placed on his face. She knew the expression was supposed to make her uncomfortable, but somehow, she found it comforting.

Their eyes met (or at least she thought so) and she smiled to him. He must have seen her, because his smile grew and he began to walk towards her, meeting her halfway. He leaned in to her and whispered into her ear, before giving her a hug.

"Da actin' starts from now." Slightly taken aback, she wrapped her arms around him as well, and noticed the driver who stepped out of the car.

"Got it," she answered and smiled. They pulled away from each other and he grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the car. She followed him willingly. He opened the door for her, outdoing the driver.

The silence in the car was comfortable, but Rangiku figured that it might be more convincing if they were conversing. She wasn't sure what to say though. They wouldn't be able to get to know each other when the driver was there. She quickly found a relevant topic, and hoped that it wasn't to off.

"So, do you think any of the others are going to bring anyone?"

"Hm," Gin said thoughtfully, "let's run through all thirteen, ne?" Rangiku smiled, happy that he had gotten the hint of providing her with some kind of information. "Let's see. First, there's the ol' man. He's single, but way too ol' t'be datin'. Then there's Sui-Feng… Bet she ain't bringin' anyone either though she's young and kinda pretty too. An' then there's the third department president," he said and paused before continuing, "he's prob'ly bringin' someone _way_ outta his league." He turned to face her, and she giggled, playing along.

"An' then it's Unohana. She's single too, though she looks like the perfect housewife and mum. It's prob'ly 'cause she so damn intimidatin'…"

"Yeah, I still don't get why you think that," she said, pretending that they had had the conversation before.

"Meh! Tha's 'cause ya don' know 'er. Ya haven't gotten _that_ look from 'er. Bet she cou'd even make the ol' man piss his pants if he faced it!" he said dramatically. Rangiku chuckled and gestured her date to continue, while she tried to figure out what to make of the descriptions so far.

The company itself was split into thirteen departments, most probably around the country or maybe even around the entire would. It didn't seem impossible.

She had yet to get the name of "the old man" who was obviously the head president of whatever company Gin worked at. Too bad. She was quite good at remembering new names, which was quite an advantage. He was old, but not married and probably very work-orientated.

Sui-Feng, head of the second department was a young woman; pretty at that too, he had said. How young though? And why wouldn't she bring anyone? The blonde figured that she was either the career woman who didn't have time for that or that she had a bad personality. Maybe even both. Gin was next, not much there though. She still didn't know much about him.

Unohana sounded like a middle-age and kind-looking woman, but for some reason, she could become very intimidating. She wasn't able to figure out much about her personality though.

Rangiku kept analysing the descriptions like this, but she especially noticed three of the presidents, the eighth, tenth and twelfth. The eighth president's name, Kyoraku seemed familiar, but she wasn't able to neither put a face on the name nor remember where she had heard it before.

The tenth president was name Toshirou, and even though Gin said he was young, it surely couldn't be the Toshirou _she_ knew. He was only a teenager after all, but the name still perked her interest.

Then there was "Mayuri". She had heard the name countless of times, but there wasn't a face to accompany it either. She could only imagine, and she really hoped it wasn't the same guy. Otherwise, she might not be able to _not_ to throw a fist at the man's face. Mayuri was the name of Nemu's father. He had thrown Nemu out when she was sixteen, the reason unknown to Rangiku, though Nemu always justified it. She never understood why Nemu seemed to still love and respect the man.

"Ah!" she said when Gin was done talking, her eyes widening a bit, "you never told me where we were going!"

"Oh yeah, we're eating at Sereitei," he said, his smile widening. Rangiku beamed.

Sereitei was the best, but also most expensive restaurant in town. She had never had the opportunity to get anything from there. She simply couldn't afford it, but she had heard and read lots of reviews of it and decided that she, at least once in her life, wanted to have _something_ from that restaurant. It would seem that she had been very lucky with her client, she thought. Still, she had to wonder what company he worked at. They were going to be at least fourteen people, which meant a lot of food, and a reservation was also needed. How much time beforehand you were supposed to make it, she didn't know, but she didn't doubt that it would be at least a month. And there was the car along with the driver too. She wasn't sure what to answer; should she lie and pretend they had been there before or be honest about her excitement? Gin decided to make the choice for her.

"Excited?" he asked her. Rangiku nodded eagerly with gleeful eyes like a little girl. The act made Gin chuckle and Rangiku blushed slightly at her childish and unprofessional behaviour, but still unable to remove the smile from her face.

Rangiku gave the fox-faced man a stunning smile and chuckled softly as she stepped out of the car as said man had been kind enough to open the door for her. Again. The rest of the ride had gone smoothly with innocent small-talk to deceive their driver. Her arm rested on his as they stepped into the exclusive restaurant and was lead to their table. They stepped inside the private room the dinner was supposed to be held and Gin introduced her to his present colleagues.

The head president, Genryusai Yamamoto, also known to her as "the old man", was nice though the authority glowed out of him. It wasn't just because of his looks. The way he stood, sat and talked. There was no doubt that this was a powerful man. He did look really old though. If she didn't know any better, she might have thought he was some kind of monk with the bald head and yet (very) long eyebrows and beard. Really, he looked like someone who should have resigned years, maybe even decades, ago. As Gin had foreseen, he didn't bring any company.

"Meh, why're we supposed ta bring someone if yer not even doin' it yerself?" he asked with a pout, the teasing undertone in his voice ever present. The older man only snorted and sat down again.

They sat around a round table in the order of their department, thus the next person she was to meet was the second department president, Sui-Feng. She had to admit she was surprised by her. Not only did she appear awfully young (really, she looked like a teenager!), her look was accompanied be a very… strict personality? At least that was the blonde's impression of the hard black-haired woman. She, too, was alone, but Gin didn't tease her about it. Maybe they weren't close enough for that? Or maybe she just wasn't someone to tease. The last option would make entirely sense, the blonde thought.

Next was the fourth department president, but she was outside, having a walk, they were told. By the look of the number of empty seats, Unohana had brought someone with her. Sosuke Aizen, the fifth president, was looking curiously at the blonde while shaking her hand. She wasn't sure what to make of it, and decided to ignore it instead. The man was very kind and polite and she understood why Gin had described him as charming.

The next man was someone she was a bit curious about. Why? Because her silver-haired partner had told her that "his looks cou'd easily get 'im a date, but knowing him, it's more likely he'll bring his sis-in-law". So first off, the man was handsome, that was obvious (which she quickly confirmed too). Next thing, bringing his sister-in-law and not wife (while being able to date), probably meant that she was deceased. That or divorced, but that wouldn't make sense with the relationship with the sister. Also, the reason for not bringing a date maybe meant that his personality didn't match his looks, that he was still mourning or a third reason. She didn't know, but Byakuya Kuchiki sounded much more interesting - and complicated - than any of the other guests he had described. Gin had also added that "Rukia" was fun to tease, which gave her the impression that she was young, and gave another insight of Gin's own persona. The chair next to him was empty though, but it was there nonetheless.

"Eh? Where's yer partner?" Gin asked after quickly introducing Rangiku. As if on a cue a young man stepped into the room. Aside from the suit he was wearing, he looked out of place. His fiery red hair was tied into a high pony tail, but was still long enough for the locks to fall down on his shoulders. His build was strong and muscular though the attire did well to hide it. A black piece of fabric, which Rangiku assumed to be a bandana, was tied around his forehead and covered the majority of the black tribal tattoos that began at his eyebrows. _Not bad,_ she thought regarding his looks, _who is he?_

"Wha-? Ya brought _Renji_? What about Rukia?" Renji raised a brow at the somewhat rude comment, but didn't say anything about it and moved towards his seat.

"Rukia is busy with her studies." _A man of short words?_ Rangiku thought and decided to introduce herself as her supposed partner had forgotten to do so.

"Hi, I'm Rangiku Matsumoto, Gin's partner. And you're Renji…" She kept her smile as she trailed off and waited for an answer.

"I'm Renji Abarai, Mr Kuchiki's personal assistant. I'm still in training though," he said and offered his hand. She shook it and he made a polite and acknowledging gesture toward Gin and sat down next to his boss.

"Oh well, let's move onwards! Da big guy 'ere's Saijin Komamura-" he paused and his brows were pulled together as his smile disappeared again, "who also didn't bring anybody," Komamura snorted, but kept quiet and shook Rangiku's hand. The couple continued to circle the table. The next two seats were empty and Sui-Feng said they were outside in the garden along with Unohana and Isane, her assistant.

"This' Tousen Kaname, who brought yet _another_ colleague… Shuhei Hisagi, 'ight?" Shuhei nodded and smiled shyly to Rangiku as he shook her hand.

"I'm one of Mr Kaname's managers at the ninth department," he said. The reason he had been brought along was obvious. The president was blind. Why it was a manager and not just another assistant, she didn't know and she didn't question it.

"Where's lil' Toshiro then?" Gin asked.

"He's outside as well, and the rest haven't arrived yet." It was Sui-Feng who answered again.

"Oh, then the tour's done and we c'n finally sit down!" he exclaimed and playfully grabbed Rangiku's wrist and pulled her towards their own seats. Gin sat next to Sui-Feng, while the chair to Rangiku's left was empty.

Five minutes later the last two presidents arrived; it was confirmed that the eleventh president wouldn't be attending. The first to step inside the room was Jushiro Ukitake who brought two assistants (why did he have two? Rangiku asked herself). His kind personality fitted his appearance and he contently greeted the blonde. Not long after Mayuri arrived. Mayuri Kurotsuchi. She squeezed his hand harder than necessary, which caused a small hiss to escape his lips. She refrained from insulting him and more importantly, she refrained from hitting the man.

After another few minutes the rest of the members arrived. Rangiku had been surprised to face so many familiar faces. Nanao, Hinamori and Hitsugaya. Nanao was there with her boss, Shunsui Kyoraku, and she remembered what Gin had told her; _"Kyoraku's prob'ly gonna bring that assistant he's always braggin' about. His department's in da town too after all."_

Rangiku realized what company Gin was working for. The infamous Gotei 13. No wonder they could afford this kind of treat. Fortunately Nanao played along and pretended to know of her and Gin's relationship. They couldn't pretend to be strangers after all when Hitsugaya and Hinamori were there. Hitsugaya was indeed the head of the tenth department. He didn't bother to explain how it could be, but he was, though not an adult yet, still able to participate in the management of his department and therefore invited to the dinner.

Gin had suggested that Hitsugaya was most likely to bring a friend or family member. He had been right again. Hinamori was his cousin and the two of them were living in the apartment below her and Nanao. Both of them had been surprised to see her at the dinner, none of them aware of her "relationship" with the third department president.

While Hinamori exclaimed "that explains why Rangiku never dates!" and the topic was dropped, her cousin didn't look as if he was satisfied with the answers they had received regarding the matter.

Rangiku greeted Unohana as they seated themselves, but didn't have proper time to introduce themselves as Yamamoto rose from his seat to tell the guests that the food would be served.

* * *

><p>Rangiku reached her arm out to grab one of the grapes placed on the wide plate in front of her. The dinner had been absolutely amazing and the many assorts of fruits were the perfect finish for her. The atmosphere had been nice and comfortable and they had even managed to avoid any difficult situations. She had barely swallowed the first grape when she eagerly reached out for another one <em>(they were even seedless!). <em>It had only made contact with her lips when someone turned their attention to her and Gin, She pushed the small piece of fruit inside her mouth as she prepared herself for the uttered words.

"So you two, how long have you been together? It must have been for some time now, right? What's your story?" It was Shunsui. Everyone turned their head to look at them, curious as well, but Nanao look rather worried than curios, aware of Rangiku's situation.

The blond herself hid her mouth behind her hand to make the others aware that she was chewing something and could therefore not speak. Should she just make something up? She was used to have something prepared with her clients in these kinds of situations, but she was pretty sure that it was her responsibility to make something believable up now._ But I don't know anything about this man! What if the others do and I end up saying something completely off? __Shit_.

"Since Rangiku's busy with 'er grapes, I'll tell ya. I promise ya it'll be a good story," he said and let his smile grow. Rangiku let of a small snort, but didn't oppose the silver haired man - it would be much better that way. Nanao would play along and she had only known Hinamori and Hitsugaya for about a year. "I've known this beauty fer elev'n years now," he said. Everyone was taken aback about the time and even Rangiku failed to keep her mask and let her eyes widen unintended.

"That's quite some time. That would be… Half of your entire life?" Mayuri asked sceptically, "_she_ even looks surprised," he said and nodded his head at her.

"I-" she began, but she was interrupted when Gin decided to answer for her.

"Well, ya see, that's how long _I've_ known Rangiku, _she_'ve only known _me_ fer five years," he replied and turned to look at her. She nodded, five years wasn't too bad considering the circumstances. But what was the point of the six years of oblivion?

"Yeah, that's what I thought, but I don't get the other six years." She knew she wasn't supposed so lead them toward a difficult topic, but if she didn't do it, someone else would. There was no doubt about that. She wanted to know just as bad as the rest of them after all. _What's he up to?_

"Yes, Gin, don't tell me you were stalking her?" Aizen said and evoked a few chuckles.

"Eh? I'd never do such a thing!" He pouted and pretended to look hurt, "y'know this story's kinda harsh. Ya sure ya c'n handle it, Toshirou?" He was smiling again, but there was no trace of humour in his voiced taunting. The white-haired boy only proceeded to drink his tea and when no one else protested, Gin started the story.

"As many of ya knows, I was 'n orphan from da streets_." Oh_, _I would never have guessed_, Rangiku thought_, it was just like me. _"Not ev'ryone was lucky enough ta have someone. Rangiku didn't either. Just a lil' girl all by 'erself on da dirty streets. After seein' ya just a couple of times, I want'd ta meet her, but I didn't dare, so I stayed away." _How does he know? _She thought. Her boss would never have told Gin such a thing; it was too unsightly for an escort to have such a past. He couldn't have read it in some kind of file either. Had he really been there all those years back? Had he really recognized her? She asked herself, but did well to look untouched.

"Then one day, almost exactly elev'n years ago, it was in October too, somethin' hapn'd." Rangiku froze. _No. No, it can't be._ "In da evenin', it'd already become dark at that time and I was walkin' around da streets, hopin' ta find somethin' useful when I turned in to this small alley…" _Oh God,_ she thought and shut her eyes closed, knowing what was to come. Her hands moved to rest at her lap and her fingers fisted the dark fabric of her dress as she mentally prepared herself for what was coming.

"An' there she was, lyin' on da dirty ground, her so-called clothes rip'd, exposin' more skin than considered healthy fer da season, small traces of blood stainin' the ground. She'd passed out, but da man was still there, towerin' her."

Everyone was looking at the blonde now with widened eyes in disbelief. Nanao stared, her eyes even bigger that the rest of them. The pained face of her roommate told her that the words indeed was the truth and that stirred a reaction inside of her about the silver-haired man. The raven was asking herself the exact same question as the blonde; how did he know about this?

"I cou'dn't see 'is face when he passed me and he didn't see me hidin' behind da dumpster. The day had started out good, y'know; I'd made more money than usual and some ol' lady had even brought me an ol' blanket. I'd always save some money if I cou'd afford it, but I'd used some of them on myself too on dried persimmons that day. And y'know, I couldn't just leave 'er there like that, practic'ly naked and all. I had them on me, so I gave it to her. She needed it more than I did, the persimmons and da blanket. I didn't dare ta stay by her till she woke up so I scrammed after that."

Silence filled the room when Gin ceased to talk, his audience shocked to hear such a story. No one as shocked as the girl herself though. Was it true? All the facts fit - had it really been Gin back then? she asked herself, confused about what to believe.

"That was our first encounter, and I didn't see 'er again until three years later…" Rangiku tried to remember those three years. She had moved around after _that_ had happened. She wouldn't stay there anymore and never settling down for too long like she would in the past. After a year though, she ended underneath the bridge at the northern side of town. Not many came by the place so she always went somewhere else to make her money. She had never been more hungry and exhausted at that time of her life, but after two years under that bridge something happened. She already knew what Gin was going to say.

"Thinkin' I needed a real job, I applied fer one when I turned thirteen, hopin' that I cou'd be a paper boy. It went fine in da beginnin'; I made myself look acceptable, behaved nicely and I think da lady liked me. But then she began askin' me 'bout my parents and started t' talk about da paperwork that had ta be done. I couldn't escape it an' after hearin' da truth, she took me in and gave me da job. She even gave me an extra route and sent me to school. Most of da money I earned ended in an account she made for me. I couldn't touch it tho', but she always gave me a lil' I cou'd spend on myself. I ended up with using them on someone else. It was jus' by chance I caught glimpse of that strikin' hair colour on ma new an' extended route. But I recognized it instantly. How couldn't I? I kept goin', I was in da middle of somethin' after all, but I stopped on da way back. She was gone. Prob'ly off ta somewhere with better chances of gettin' some money I figured 'cause I found some of 'er stuff left under de bridge.

"When I came back from ma route da next day I was prepared and left 'er some snacks. I wanted ta bring 'er some real food, but I didn't know when she was comin' back so it cou'd get bad in da meantime. I only got da chance ta see 'er a few times. The first time, she was practic'ly just skin an' bones, so I brought even more stuff for 'er and made sure she'd have somethin' for the colder times.

"After a year I finally got ta see 'er properly again. By then I'd gotten a new job, so it was kinda difficult to get to 'er, but I still managed; I cou'dn't visit 'er daily anymore so when I came by once or twice a week and always gave 'er bigger portions than before. Made more money now too so I cou'd actually give 'er real food too. She was finally startin' ta look a bit better now and after another year fed by my high-calorie goods she was actually lookin' somewhat normal. Still thin, but nothin' you couldn't see walk down the street. I guess we c'n all see were the fat went- ow!" he said and stopped his tale as the palm of a hand hit his head.

"That hurt, y'know. Why're ya always so harsh against me, Rangiku?" Gin asked and rubbed the back of his head.

"I wonder why!" Rangiku bit back and rolled her eyes at him with a smile, "just continue…" she said, her voice softer than before.

"Fine. Well after that, I decided it was about time for 'er to get off the streets. Get a decent life. I began to leave 'er some clothes. Mostly cheap second-hands, couldn't afford much more, but still better than what she had. Then I began ta check da job sections in da papers or look out for signs in da stores. I'd mark da descent job near me and leave them fer 'er to see. I figured she'd run into da same problem as me, but hopefully, someone wou'd wanna help her out too. And this is around the five years that Rangiku actually knows of begins…"

"Yeah… I looked through the papers left for me and decided to try it out." _Now's when the lies begin_. "The first was a job at a small café. I thought it'd be safe enough, because it said that experience wasn't needed; they'd teach you everything. But like Gin, I had some troubles with the paperwork. The owner was… well, I wouldn't say understanding, but he was kind and he didn't want to send me back to the streets so he took me in. He'd just gotten divorced, so his new apartment wasn't big, but he did have an extra room for me. I was allowed a roof above my head and food on the table if I took care of the place for him. The café was his new project, so I spent a lot of time there too, but he wouldn't let me work there just yet.

"He tried to tutor me, because I wasn't smart enough to go to school, but he wasn't experienced and I didn't learn much but to read, write and some simple math. One of the waitresses though was really smart and she took care of that part afterwards.

"When I wasn't in the café, I'd learn about the world through educational channels from TV and the news." Rangiku paused and had a sip of her wine before she continued as she tried to find some kind of way for her encounter with Gin.

"Finally I was allowed to work in the café, and that's when I met him for the first time. He was sitting at one of the small tables. All by himself. He ordered one of the usual offers we had; Hot chocolate and a piece of pie. He tried to start a conversation with me after his order. It was really quiet that day so I took my time with him. He was intriguing. After a couple of minutes I remembered he had actually ordered something and left him make the order." _And then?_

"When I returned with him, he asked me to sit with him and we continued our talk." _Yeah, that sounds like something he'd do_. "The place was almost empty and my co-workers weren't doing much either, so I sat down across to him and our talk continued. He even shared his pie with me," she said and smiled. _How far should I draw this out?_

"It was just shallow at first, our conversations, but then we began to move towards deeper and more personal topics and found out how much we had in common, a similar path of life. I don't know why I just spilled everything like that. I just did. And I knew I did the right thing now, because just like that, in less than a day I'd fallen in love with a complete stranger." She turned her head to look at Gin with a serene smile, and he reached out to hold her hand.

"Wow, what an amazing story," Hinamori said with a puzzled stare, "you didn't know that it was Gin who did all those things back then?"

"No, I had no idea until now… Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked her fake partner, surprised that the slight trace of anger in her voice was genuine.

"Ya never told me ya were raped either and it's not somethin' I cou'd just bring it up like that!" Gin said to defend himself.

"And to think that Gin had been watching over you for such a long time! How romantic, don't you just wish we had that kind of connection too, my sweet Nanao?" Shunsui said and looked at his assistant with shining eyes.

"No. Why would I want that?" The dark haired woman didn't even bother to look his way when she uttered the cold words.

"Eh? That's so mean, Nanao, why would you be so cold towards me?" Rangiku smiled at the scene displayed in front of her and relaxed. The most difficult part was over now.

* * *

><p>The blonde silently closed her eyes and let her body relax entirely against the cushioned seat.<p>

_It was him_, she thought as reflected on the conversation from the restaurant. She knew it was the truth. Gin Ichimaru had been the one to take care of her for such a long time. Everything he had said, it had all been true. There was no way for him to get that kind of information if he hadn't experienced it himself. Sure there was some who knew that she had spent her childhood on the streets until she reached sixteen, but she had never told anybody, not _one_ singleperson, about the rape or the mysterious person who had watched over her. But Gin had known all of this. It had to be him, she concluded, what other (reasonable) explanations were there?

"Almost there…" Gin said, causing the blonde reveal her blue eyes. She recognized the district the car was driving through and she knew they would reach her apartment in a few minutes from now. She decided not to answer, but settled with a smile and closed her eyes again. When she opened them again, the car was only a couple of hundred metres from her apartment and the building was within their sight now.

"Hm, we're here… I expect you to join me for a while, you know…" she said, happy that Nanao had decided to take off with Hitsugaya and Hinamori, knowing that they would need some time alone.

"Yeah, figured that much. And I wouldn't have it any other way." The car slowed down as it was about to stop in front of the apartment. When it did, the chauffeur unbuckled his seat belt, but by that time Gin had already stepped out of the car and headed for the other side of it to help Rangiku out. Seeing this, the chauffeur leaned back again with a sigh, causing the blonde to chuckle before stepping out of the car.

"You jus' take off, I'll get home by maself," Gin said before closing the door of the car and turned his back at it. The black car slowly took off and was already out of sight when the couple had reached the front door of the building.

They shared some quiet minutes before they stepped into the small entry in her apartment.

"Tea?" she asked when she had ridded herself from her jacket and shoes.

"That'd be nice. Thanks."

"No problem," she said and headed for the kitchen, putting her purse on the table on her way. _My hands are shaking_, she realized as she held the kettle while the water poured down from the tap, filling it. There wasn't much need for her to act formal from now on, she thought. She realized another thing when she put some tea leafs in the empty pot. This was the first time she had invited a guy home. A client even. She had never dated after all. How could she, considering who she was? And that wasn't all. She was only twenty-one, but she had slept with more men than she could count with her fingers, but she had yet to have her first kiss. If it was ever going to happen.

Rangiku noticed that it had become quiet. _The water must be ready_, she thought and reached for the hot kettle. She poured the water into the pot, the damp hitting her face, making her relax even just a little. She placed the pot on a small plate along with two cups. Carefully lifting it from the table, the blonde returned to the dining room to find the silver haired man sitting by the table with his characteristic smile planted on his face.

"Hm, green tea…" he said and moved closer to the table, closer to her.

"Yeah, hope you don't mind it a bit strong," she said, remembering how she liked her tea.

"Nah, I'm sure I c'n handle it." He lifted his arm to receive the offered and filled cup. He inhaled the hot damp, but put it down without drinking anything.

"You surprised?" he then asked. There was no need to elaborate the question. She knew what he must have meant.

"Who wouldn't have been surprised by that? A complete stranger telling a room full of people about stuff only you should know about."

"Yeah… Should I've kept ma mouth shut? I wanted ya ta know."

"No, it's fine. Now I know it was you and I'm able to thank you. Thank you for saving me back then. Thank you for keeping me alive after that. Thank you for helping me so I could live my life afterwards. Thank you for everything you've done to me. I don't know what would've happened to me if you hadn't helped me. I'd probably be dead now…" It became quiet between the two individuals, and they both used the pause to have a taste of the tea.

"So what really hapn'd? I know ya didn't take any of the jobs I marked."

"You don't know?" she asked, honestly surprised.

"I c'n only guess from what I saw. I'm sure I got it right tho'. I'm pretty smart, y'see. But I wanna be sure, hear it from yer mouth." She nodded and told him the truth. That she had taken one of the other jobs, the one from the escort company, because the pay was better. She was only sixteen, but she knew she looked mature and thought it was safe enough to try out. She didn't have any documents though and ended up confessing everything to the manager. He felt bad for her and didn't want to send her back to the streets, so he promised to let her stay with him and feed her, if she took care of the apartment and prepared the food. She agreed.

She still wanted to work for him, to make money, and because he didn't mind it, he did his best to tutor her about everything she needed to know; manners, common knowledge and everything else that would make her appear as a civilized woman who didn't live without a roof above her head for sixteen years. When she turned eighteen he finally allowed her to sign the papers that would make her an escort.

She met some of the others who worked as escorts then and quickly became friends with Nemu, Mayuri's daughter, who'd always help her out and advise her. Not long after, she met Nanao at Nemu's second workplace; a small café that reminded of that in her fake story. Their personalities were almost polar opposites, but somehow they managed to click and after another year, she moved into the raven's apartment.

Rangiku took a deep breath after finishing the story.

"So is that anyway near what you were thinking?" She asked.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"I see. What now then?"

"Whadaya mean?"

"I'm yours for the next two days, right?"

"Oh right! I was just thinkin' that we'd play it all lovey-dovey, y'know. Meet me after the meetings and a couple of dates so I can't get out of them earlier or even cancel." Rangiku chuckled.

"All right. We can do that. I just need to know your schedule then."

"Thank God, I had Izuru take care of that for me," he said and held his phone out to her. Rangiku quickly ran her eyes through the appointments and did her best to remember at least two for each day. Gin was a busier man than she had assumed him to be. No wonder he wanted her to interfere with some of the meetings.

"Okay, I have something in mind for the next few days," she said and handed him back the phone.

"Yeah? Great, I'll be waiting." His smile widened. _Sheesh, how does he do that without showing any of his teeth? _She returned the smile.

"And I'll look forward to it. There's not anything I need to know about you by the way? Considering that we were improvising throughout tonight's dinner. It could be risky, you know."

"I'll risk it. Besides, I think I know enough 'bout ya… You too if ya think back." He emptied his cup and placed it on the table, and looked at her.

"I don't really know about that, but I can always just pretend." She smiled playfully and winked as she hid the lowest part of her face with her own cup of tea and had a sip of it.

"I'd really love ta stay… But I have an early meeting t'morrow, so I have ta go." She nodded and put her cup down. They parted with only short words of goodbyes. As soon as the man was out of the door, she went into her own room, threw herself onto the bed and closed her eyes, finally allowing herself to clear her mind and compose her thoughts. The night had been surprisingly eventful.

* * *

><p>"Huh?" Rangiku asked with her mouth filled with food, the tips of the chopsticks had yet to get out of her mouth. Her spectacled friend narrowed her eyes just slightly and told the blonde to never mind. Though the blonde was in the room physically, it was obvious to Nanao that her mind was elsewhere.<p>

When Rangiku entered the dining room later that evening, the previous dishes were gone and the table wiped clean. She would usually have been forced to help out with such chores, but Nanao had told her, she could do it by herself tonight. The table wasn't empty though. A small plate with four whole dried persimmons had been laid in the centre of the square platform. The blonde snorted. Was Nanao doing this on purpose? Dried persimmons were in fact one of her favourite foods, but she would never buy it herself anymore. They reminded her of _him_. Therefore she would only have them when others would buy them for her. It was rare for Nanao to do so; she regarded the dried fruit as more of a treat rather than a snack. But here they were, right in front of her. She grabbed one of them, not able to resist the temptation and took a bite.

The sweet taste and memories overwhelmed her.

* * *

><p>"Ah! Rangiku!" His steps quickened. She turned around, her lips pulled upwards to a smile and she began to move herself towards him. He reached his hands out to embrace her. "Yer a lifesaver! That meeting was so boring!" he said, not freeing her just yet. They pulled away from each other and she winked at him.<p>

"You're welcome. I got something for you by the way," she said and raised her arm to show the small paper bag in her hand.

"Oh my, you shouldn't have!" Gin said, but took the bag despite his words, curious. He unrolled the top and peeked inside without opening it entirely.

Dried persimmons!" he exclaimed and dug his hand inside the bag only to retreat it moments later with a piece of dried fruit between his fingers. "Ya know me so well," he said and bent down to kiss the blonde's forehead before he finally took a bite of the object in his hand.

"My, my, isn't the sight of blooming love just wonderful? Ah, Nanao if only y-" the last words of the sentence remained unsaid as a schedule collided with the man's head.

"Shut up and don't interfere." Rangiku looked over Gin's shoulder to see her roommate and boss walk in their direction. The scene only made her smile widen.

"Come on, let's go" the blonde said and grabbed the silver-haired man's unoccupied hand and dragged him out of the building.

"Yeah? Where're we goin'?"

"Just around town. You haven't been here for a while, right?"

* * *

><p>"Nanao! I'm going out for a walk!" Rangiku said with a raised voice from the hall and bent down to grab her shoes. Only seconds later, her roommate stood by the door behind her.<p>

"Remember your keys, I won't be home when you're back," she said, making the blond turn to look at her.

"You going out tonight?" she asked in surprise and remembered the breakfast. She was about to ask when Nanao let out a sigh.

"I already told you two weeks ago, remember? Hinamori and I are going to the theatre. I even invited you to come along. I reminded you at dinner too," she said.

"Really? I don't remember that…" she said. And she really didn't

"Well, the show begins in… 72 minutes, and we want to be there in good time."

"Right, right. See, I'm bringing the keys with me," Rangiku said reassuringly and shook the keys in her hands. Nanao went back in to her room, making the blonde return her attention to her shoes. Just as she had tied the laces and straightened her back, her roommate peeked out of her room again.

"Rangiku… Take a safe route," she said, the seriousness clear in her voice. When she only received silence as an answer, she stepped into the room. "I'm serious. I don't want you to wander around in those areas," she said.

"Too bad, 'cause I'm gonna do it anyway," the blonde answered, stubbornly, but just as serious as her friend, "don't worry, I can take care of myself, and nothing has ever happened."

"You shouldn't risk it either way. I don't understand why you always insist on taking your walk through those allies." The blonde woman just shrugged and headed for the door, murmuring quietly.

"It's not like I can help it. My feet just bring me there anyway." She was out of the door before she heard the raven's answer, but was surprised when she wasn't being followed by her. She let out a sigh and pressed the button that would bring her a descending elevator.

_This has really been a bad they_, the blonde thought og rested against the cold wall in the elevator. She didn't try to fight it when the memories pressed their way forward inside her mind this time.

* * *

><p>It felt nice. The warmth of his body. She didn't want to let it go. She didn't want <em>to him<em> go.

"Rangiku…"

"Yeah… You have to go now…" She said with a thick voice and took a step back, her arms still around his waist.

"It's really been somethin'. T' spend some real time with ya."

"Yeah, I'd never imagine that…" her voice broke and her hands clutched the fabric of his coat. Why did it hurt so much? Why were the tears gathering in her eyes, begging to be released? She wasn't supposed to feel this way!

His hand reached up to cup the side of her face.

"I'm sorry." The warmth disappeared and yet, the cheek his hand had been touching just a few seconds ago felt as if it was burning. She slowly observed how his back disappeared in the crowd, how her sight became blurry as their distance continued to grow. The colours of the world meddled, making everything hazy, forcing her eyes to close and unleash the tears.

Loneliness overtook her. Never had the feeling been stronger as she stood there by herself in the airport, going nowhere.

* * *

><p>Rangiku stopped her pace and stared at the wall to her right and smiled slightly. It wasn't back to normal, but still; this wasn't too bad. Rangiku always walked through this area when she went out for the walks she occasionally took. Hueco Mundo was a ghetto and actually quite dangerous, but the second day Gin had been in town, he had walked her home through this district. She was now walking the exact same path at the very moment. When she exited the district, she would turn around and head back home again.<p>

"_Promise ya won't c'mere alone, ne?"_ his voice told her inside of her head, "_it's dangerous_." Obviously, she didn't oblige though she had told him yes back then. The route was in fact the shortest one home that time, but it was also the most dangerous. You never knew what you would find around the next corner, who was hiding in the shadows or when they would make a move.

The wall she was looking at had a great white panther with blue eyes sprayed on it at the time she had been there with Gin. When she had taken a walk a couple of months ago, the painting had changed. Instead, she had found an octopus. It was white as well, but the eyes had been lavender. Now it seemed that the previous artist had taken back his canvas and done a new panther. It was even bigger now and its pose had change, making it much more intimidating than before. The only thing that remained untouched was the gothic six in the corner. She sighed and returned to her walk, forcing her feet to move away from the spot.

She always noticed such things; the changes. She never realized how much she remembered about these streets, how detailed it was in her memories, but every time something changed, she would notice. In the beginning she was able to register even the smallest changes, but the ability faded with time as her memories weakened.

"Well hello there, beautiful," a deep voice said. The blonde ignored the greeting and kept her pace. "Did'n'cha hear me?" the man said again.

"I did, just not interested," she said, but still didn't bother to turn around.

"Whoa, that's mean! Y'know… Ya could upset someone with that attitude…" he trailed off, and she noticed how much closer the man was now. "Ya should be really careful. S'not the safest place in town."

"No shit," she muttered, but kept walking.

"Yer not lost are ya? I could help ya," he said and wrapped his arms around her, making her freeze at the spot. She narrowed her eyes before thrusting her elbow into his stomach, making him take a step backwards, but before she could turn around again someone grabbed her wrists and crossed her arms behind her back. She hissed at the pain that forced her to lean forward. Someone stepped forth in front of her and grabbed her chin. The action made her look into the pair of dark brown eyes of an angry man. It must have been the one she hit, she thought from the expression in his face._ So how many are they? _she asked herself as another man stepped into her view as well and placed himself behind the other man.

"I don't think it's a good idea. The bosses' in town and you know they don't tolerate these kinds of things," he said.

"Che, but they ain't _here_, right?" he answered and gave Rangiku a smug grin. It seemed that the words reached the one who held her hands though, because she felt the grip loosen slightly. Not wanting to waste the chance, she released herself and spun around to kick him. She turned around again, just in time to hear him hit the ground, but found herself facing something entirely else than her arrogant assaulter. A gun. Considering their location, she knew it would be loaded, ready to kill her. She cursed mentally. A knife or the likes she could handle, but how was she going to fight this?

"Now, now, told'cha to act carefully, didn't I?" he asked and smiled. Shortly after she felt someone restrain her movements again. _What now?_ She thought as she felt herself being dragged into an empty alleyway. Her body began to shake despite the warm evening wind. It all felt too familiar, and her breath began to hitch when she felt and heard her shirt being ripped. She was pressed against a cold brick wall and kept in place by two off the men while the third, the one with the brown eyes, stood in front of her and admired her body.

"Not so cocky now, eh?" he asked. Something about the sentence stirred something up inside of her, because despite of the trauma, she somehow managed to spit the man in his face. He growled and reached out to grab her at her temples and slammed her head into the wall behind her.

"Worthless bitch!" he hissed and tore another piece of fabric of her clothes. She closed her eyes and wished that she had been knocked out by the previous hit as she felt a callous hand make its way up her thigh.

"Oh my, what's goin' on over 'ere?" Everyone froze at the voice and the hand lay still.

"M- Mr Ichimaru," the man to Rangiku's left side said. She didn't dare to open her eyes. It was _his_ voice, definitely, and the name matched too, but… What if it was just her imagination, if he wasn't really there?

"Scram," he said, the anger in his voice was clear which seemed to surprise everyone present. She couldn't stop her eyes from opening, and there he was. About five metres from her though the distance kept diminishing as he stepped closer. _They're blue_, she realized.

"Now. Before I kill ya." Rangiku felt the groping hands leave her body. The tight grips disappeared as well. She slid down the wall behind her, her body trembling, and watched the three men run off.

"Didn't I tell ya _not_ t' come 'ere?" he said, the anger replaced by worry. Her vision became blurry as the tears gathered in her eyes.

"Gin." The name came out only as a whisper, but the love, which gave the word life, was clear. He kneed down before her and a slender hand reached up to remove a lock of hair from her face.

"Don't cry. I'm 'ere now, ne? Imma take care of ya." The comforting words only made it harder for her to supress the tears from flowing down. The mix of sob and a laugh escaped her lips. His hand cupped her face and she couldn't stop herself from leaning into the touch, not at all shocked by the comforting feeling that spread through her body. She closed her eyes with the just the smallest hint of a smile.

* * *

><p>Rangiku opened her eyes, but instead of facing the man she loved, she found herself staring into the roof in her room. Her eyes widened and she raised herself to sit on the bed in a fast motion. <em>No, <em>she thought, _it couldn't have been a dream. No way. It was real, he was there! Gin! It was real!_ She thought desperately. But nothing seemed to reveal whether it was true or not. _What day is it?_ She thought and looked around, trying to spot her cell phone. Her eyes stopped roaming the room when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Rangiku," the voice called, and said person felt her heart drop again when she recognized the feminine voice and couldn't get herself to answer.

"Rangiku!"

A few more knocks. The door opened.

"Ran- Oh, you're already awake…" the black-haired woman said, mildly surprised. Come on, get up. I made breakfast. Pancakes." she said with a smile, but everything the blonde registered was the lack of an "again" at the end of the sentence.

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><p>Breakfast was, to Nanao's surprise, very quiet, the atmosphere was heavy. She tried to stir up some kind of conversation, but none of her words seemed to reach the devastating blonde. After just two pancakes she stopped eating and just stared at the third she had placed on the plate. Some time later, she filled it, but the food never reached her mouth. At this point her black-haired friend had already decided that it would be best to give her some time alone. She would open up when she was ready, and there was no need to rush it. She let the blonde go back into her room and sighed audibly, honestly worried about her friend.<p>

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><p>The first thing Rangiku spotted as she entered the room was the clothes piled at the end of her bed. She grimaced, remembering how happy she had been about the top last morning… She stopped the flow of thoughts and almost ran the few metres to the small piece of cloth. The small ray of hope shattered as she held a perfectly new top in her hands. There were no signs of wear and the price tag was still on. It saddened her even more that she had dared to hope that it had all been reality after all.<p>

Rangiku clutched the clothing between her fingers, this time in grief. She eyed the garment in front of her before she froze. Her right hand let go of the top while her left hand kept its grip. She reached for the small trash can in the corner of the room, hope spreading through her body once again. Her heart sped up, beat harder and louder than she wanted it to. She really didn't want to get her hope high again just to be let down. She wasn't though. The trash can was close to empty, which made it easier for her to find was she was looking for. As she compared the small piece of cardboard in her right hand to the one stuck to the brand on the shirt she realized they were identical. The price tags were identical, she repeated to herself, continuing to compare the different numbers and words on both tags.

The blonde sunk to her knees, her legs unable to bear her any longer with the added weight of her relief. She put the old price tag on her desk and began to fold the top. Rangiku reached up to place it on the top shelf of her wardrobe and stepped out of her room, finally ready to start a new day with a smile.

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><p><strong>AN:** If you made it this far, please leave a review and let me know what you thought! I'd really appreciate it!

This was very different from what I'm usually writing, because I thought it'd fit better. I have to admit I enjoyed writing it though, and I really hope I did this couple justice!

- When I read this the last time before uploading it, I was listening to music. By coincidence, when I reached the airport-scene, it was was playing the last 30 seconds of "Never Meant to Belong" (Bleach OST)... Talk about perfect timing xD

Anyway, I hope you liked the story ^^


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